A BIG PIECE OF GLASS

The replacement of our motor home's one piece windshield took place yesterday morning at RV Glass, in Coburg, OR.  I was given the opportunity to take a few pictures, as the old glass was being removed.  I'm sure there are some bigger motor home windshields, but this is one huge chunk of glass. 

When the one piece motor home windshield trend started almost a decade ago, I wonder if any of the structural engineers gave much thought to the unintended consequences of putting so much glass in the front of a big vehicle.  Motor homes aren't rigid like your automobile.  They flex, particularly when going over things like driveway transitions, or speed bumps at an angle.  The old Monaco didn't allow for the "flex factor", and the result was (still is), many broken windshields when the glass is forced against an edge, or corner, as the front cap twists, and bends.  As I mentioned before, we had the rigid "halo brace" installed before Monaco went bankrupt, and that mitigated most of the flex problem, but not entirely.  During this trip, while on a bumpy, undulating portion of the Alaska Hwy, the top left corner of our windshield glass was forced against the cap, and broke.  We later had the rock damage.

 RV Glass occupies the old Monaco corporate headquarters building.

 3 "Before" pictures.

While talking to the folks at RV Glass, I learned that this flex problem is causing lots of windshields (not just Monaco products) to break.  Dave, the installer pictured below, said that they just came back from the rally in Gillete, WY, and if I remember correctly, he said they replaced 27 windshields due to this flex issue.  The approx. retail cost of our windshield is $2,000!

The broken windshield being removed.

 

 Driving down the road without a windshield would give new meaning to the biker term "In The Wind".

 After

We were back in the coach around 3pm, and stayed parked on the property, where we had a complimentary 50 amp electrical connection.  This morning, we're moving just down the street to Cummins Coach Care, where an annual service is on the agenda.  Nancy is having the same service, and we'll both stay tonight at Coach Care, where they also have water & electric hook ups.  Tomorrow, we're off for the coast where the 60 degree temps will be a welcome relief from the last several days of 90+.